Francis Bacon, Viscount Saint Alban

Art Historical Context

This engraving presents Francis Bacon, Viscount St. Alban, the influential English philosopher, statesman, and pioneer of the scientific method. Created after an original portrait by Flemish artist Paulus van Somer I, who worked at the English court in the early seventeenth century, the print preserves the likeness of a man whose writings helped shape modern empirical thought. Though the exact date remains unknown, such reproductions were common ways to circulate images of notable figures beyond the elite circles that commissioned painted originals. As an engraving measuring just 18.2 by 11.6 centimeters, the work exemplifies the medium’s role in making portraiture widely accessible. Engraving allowed fine details from paintings to be translated into ink on paper, enabling broader distribution through books, collections, and private study. Now part of the National Gallery of Art’s Rosenwald Collection, this modest sheet offers viewers a tangible connection to both Bacon’s intellectual legacy and the printmaking practices that helped spread Renaissance ideas across Europe.